Good Morning Valued Chamber Member,
For the past 14 years, the Boca Chamber has honored a tradition of recognizing a successful businesswoman at our Annual Diamond Awards Luncheon. During this program, we honor a Diamond recipient who has demonstrated leadership and service to our community. We have also added a Pearl Award recipient in recent years. A Pearl is a rising female student and graduate from our Young Entrepreneur Academy. This year’s Diamond award recipient is Sophia Eccleston, Senior External Affairs Manager with Florida Power and Light, and the Pearl recipient is Kasandra Diaz, Founder, Quickdropped. This event is traditionally held in February. This year we have moved the date to September 10th, to ensure our Diamond and Pearl honorees are able to celebrate in-person and be recognized by their peers and colleagues. Make sure to mark your calendars for this special experience.
The Health Care District of Palm Beach County will be contacting people who sent emails to the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) at chd50feedback@flhealth.gov to schedule a vaccination. FDOH is currently not taking any additional appointments until everyone who had previously registered are given appointments. Additionally, starting this week, the Health Care District of Palm Beach County will be assisting the FDOH in administering the vaccines at locations including South County Civic Center in Delray Beach and John Prince Park in Lake Worth.
The City of Boca Raton will not hold Early Voting for the upcoming March 9th, City Council election. Mail-in ballots will be mailed starting on February 8th. If you do not plan to vote on election day, make sure you request your ballot! With two of the five Council seats in the balance, this election could ensure that business is supported, and the City’s quality of life is maintained while Moving Boca Raton Forward. Do not sit this one out, make a plan and vote to support BLU-PAC endorsed candidates, Constance Scott for Seat C and Brian Stenberg for Seat D.
The first phase of construction on the Boca Raton Brightline station is scheduled to begin this March. The Boca Chamber strongly advocated to have a station in the City. The start of this construction is another positive sign of economic recovery within the State and City of Boca Raton.
Yesterday, Florida Senate Bill 50 had its first review. This bill will require business from outside the State of Florida who are selling to Floridians - to collect internet sales tax. More specifically, the bill requires the collection and remittance of sales tax on businesses that are doing more than $100,000 in internet sales in Florida. This will level the playing field between brick-and-mortar businesses located in Florida and those that are only conducting transactions online. This is a top Business Legislative agenda item for the Boca Raton Chamber, and we are advocating for its passage.
Jimmy Patrionis, Florida’s Chief Financial Officer, sent a letter to the International Olympic Committee encouraging them to consider relocating the 2021 Summer Olympics from Tokyo to Florida. The games had been postponed last summer due to the coronavirus pandemic. The letter states that Florida has successfully allowed sports to take place during the pandemic, including NBA basketball and both professional and college football. CFO Patrionis laid out the state has an abundant number of hotels and airports that could accommodate the infrastructure needed to hold the games.
Looking for a quick way to find an event, register for an event, and receive pop-up notifications of important Chamber, County, City of Boca Raton, and City of Boynton Beach information? Download the Boca Chamber App – found on the App Store and Google Play Store. Keep your Chamber at the tip of your fingers! You can also stay up to date on all Chamber activity by visiting us at bocachamber.com.
We continue to provide you with valuable educational webinars and virtual experiences, with most being recorded and available for you to access on the Boca Chamber’s YouTube Channel. Hit the subscribe button to find out when new content is posted on our channel.
Below is a list of our upcoming virtual and in-person experiences:
Meet, Greet, Connect and Have Fun. Network with Chamber Members at this “after-hours” event!
1/28 – 8:30 a.m. Virtual Boynton Beach Government Affairs Committee
Topic: Boynton Beach Town Square Capital Campaign
Speaker: Charlotte Pelton, President & CEO of Charlotte Pelton & Associates, Inc
2/2 – 12:00 p.m. Virtual International Business Alliance Roundtable
Topic: The Business Model – Your Best Tool to Manage the Challenges Ahead
Speaker: Luis David Ramirez, President, SCUDO Consulting
2/3 – 12:00 p.m. Virtual Trustee Presentation
Topic: The Global Health Crisis and Economy in Florida - Where We Go From Here
Speaker: Mark Wilson, President & CEO, Florida Chamber of Commerce
2/5 – 8:30 a.m. Virtual Prime Professional Group
Sponsor: Allegiance Home Health
Topic: Can Employers Require Employees to Get a COVID Vaccine?
Speaker: Ellen M. Leibovitch, Partner, Assouline & Berlowe
2/9 – 8:30 a.m. Virtual From How to Wow
Topic: Learn How to…Create an Endless Stream of Prospects, Network More Effectively, and Leverage Partnerships
Speaker: Greta Schulz, President & CEO, Schulz Business Solutions
2/10 – 12:00 p.m. Virtual Boynton Beach Lunch and Learn
Sponsor: iThink Financial
Speaker: Megan Kossove, Director of Communication, Early Learning Coalition of Palm Beach County
2/11 – 7:45 a.m. In-Person Membership Breakfast
Sponsor: Delray Medical Center
Topic: Innovations in Structural Heart Therapies and Advancements in Cardiothoracic Surgery
Speaker: Jeffrey H. Newman, MD, FACS, Medical Director, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Delray Medical Center
Brij Maini, MD, FACC, National and Florida Medical Director for Cardiology, Tenet Healthcare
Location: Boca Raton Marriott at Boca Center, 5150 Town Center Circle in Boca Raton
2/11 – 11:30 a.m. Virtual Government Affairs Committee Meeting
Topic: COVID-19 and the Impact on Workers Comp
Speaker: Dawn Ingham, State Relations Executive, NCCI
Topic: How to Get the Competitive Edge in Today’s Marketplace
Speaker: Omar Periu, Business Coach, Mentor and Speaker, Omar Periu International
2/16 – 12:00 p.m. Virtual PULSE Event
Topic: COVID-19 Update
Speaker: Lincoln Mendez, CEO, Boca Raton Regional Hospital
2/17 – 8:30 a.m. Virtual South Healthcare Advocacy Network (S.H.A.N.)
Topic: Let’s Talk About Sleep
Speaker: Colleen Ferren, O.T. CDP, Trilogy Home Health Care
Yesterday, while on a call with the Florida Chamber of Commerce and other leaders from across the state, Governor DeSantis provided a positive outlook for the economic recovery for the state of Florida. Additionally, he stated that 22% of our senior population has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. It is very clear that the demand for the vaccine far exceeds the supply, however, his plan is to have our aging seniors population vaccinated as quick as possible. Regardless of age, Florida is the 10th overall per capita in vaccine distribution, He also talked about the hope that Johnson and Johnson’s new vaccine will be available soon. This vaccine only requires one dose, therefore allowing more residents to get the vaccine. Thanks to the leadership of Governor DeSantis, Florida is viewed as a leader in combatting COVID by the effort to prioritize the distribution of the vaccine to health care and front line workers, and Floridan’s 65 and above.
As always, thank you for making Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, and all South Palm Beach County the best place to Live, Work, Learn and Play.
Moving Business Forward,
